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The team from AMA Victoria wishes you all the best as you commence your career as a doctor.
At a time of excitement and anticipation, know that you are ready and that AMA Victoria will support you. We look forward to being there for you in your first year as a doctor.
Tips and advice for interns: O-Week
Industrial matters to action:
While the focus of O-week is essentially to induct you into your new role of doctor, there are a couple of important industrial matters that we want to make you aware of associated with the mandatory training you will be required to complete in O-Week and how to manage any annual leave requirements you have for 2023.
Mandatory training
As a new employee you will be required to complete certain mandatory training as part of your “onboarding”. Any training/qualification that was not a requirement to apply for the job must be done in paid time. This can either be in the form of time during your working week or as overtime.
If there has been training that you were directed to do before starting or in your own time you are entitled to be paid for that and you should claim it on your first timesheet as overtime. It is important that you make the claim, we cannot follow up on the non-payment until you do.
Annual leave
As an intern your health service has likely already given you a schedule for when they want you to take annual leave for the next 12 months. If you are happy with that then there is no action required.
However, if you have a significant personal event or a specific time you want to take off then it is important that you inform Medical Workforce this week. Under your employment Agreement you are entitled to leave at a time that is agreed between yourself and the health service, this means that neither party can dictate when leave will be taken. The health service has an additional obligation in that they cannot “unreasonably withhold” their agreement. So, the sooner you get your written request in the harder it will be for them to reasonably refuse. NB You must give 6 weeks’ notice in writing of you intention to take leave.